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J. R. ZWICKL May 2, 1939.

COMBINED AIR CONDITIONING UNIT AND HAIR DRIER Filed Oct. 28, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m L K #4 772294 0295 R m u o a o m m/hm I w H "n x 2 w 0 D 0 .2 5 3 R 2 May 2, 1939. J. R. ZWICKL 2,157,047

COMBINED AIR CONDITIONING UNIT AND HAIR DRIER Filed Oct. 28, 19157 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ml mu ii CONDENSER ii i EvnPoznTos 55 3,352:

INVENTOR (JOSEPH Q. Zwacm.

ATTORN Patented May 2, 1939 PATENT OFFICE COMBINED AIR CONDITIONING UNIT AND HAIR DRIER Joseph B. Zwlckl, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Baldwin- Southwark Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application October 28, 1937, Serial No. 171,521

5 Claims.

This invention relates generally to an improved apparatus for drying womens hair and for cooling, dehumidifying or otherwise conditioning the air of the room in which the hair drying operation takes place.

It is very desirable in hairdressing parlors or beauty salons to maintain the air as comfortably cool as possible inasmuch as modernnn ethods of hair treatments for women" require in many instances an appreciable period of time, patience amf'sacrifices on the part of the customer.

It is one object of my invention to provide an improved hair drying apparatus operated by a mechanical refrigeration air conditioning unit. A

' further object is to provide an improved combination whereby the air conditioning unit is operative not only for drying hair but also if desired for cooling and dehumidifying the room air.

Another object is to provide an improved hair drying combination in which widely varying con-= ditions of air temperature and volume of required air may be suitably controlled with minimum eifort or thought on the part of an operator. A further and more specific object is to provide an improved combination employing a mechanical -refrigeration air conditioning unit in which the condenser heat is effectively used for hair drying together with an improved arrangement of ducts and control elements whereby the unit is rendered most efiective for all year around use in drying hair as well as either heating or cooling room air.

In accomplishing the foregoing and other objects, I specifically employ an air conditioning unit having a compressor and complementary heat exchange elements with means for interchangeably converting the same into a condenser and evaporator or vice versa together with blowers and ducts for circulating outside air over one of said heat exchange elements and room air over the other element in combination with an arrangement of ducts and control valves or dampers for bringing a hair drying apparatus into complete cooperative relation with the air conditioning unit so as to insure maximum use of the condenser heat for hair drying purposes as Well as cooling the room air.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front view of the air conditioning apparatus and hair drying duct system, parts of which are broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

(ill. 34-26) Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a spring means for counterbalancing the vertically adjustable head pieces of the hair drying apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of passages and dampers for summer operation;

Fig. 6 is a similar diagrammatic view but arranged for winter operation;

Fig. 'I is an enlarged view of supplementary fans, parts being shown in section to show the manner of selectively driving the same;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing means for closing or opening the drying hood passages.

In the particular embodiment of the invention, such as is disclosed herein merely for the purpose of illustrating one specific form among possible others that the invention might take in practice, I have shown an air conditioning unit generally indicated at i and which, for purposes of more detailed consideration if necessary, may be the same as shown in Weiland et a1. application, Serial No. 84 ,758, filed June 11, 1936. It will of course be understood that any suitable type of air conditioning unit may be employed which has a compressor 2 and a pair of complementary heat exchange elements 3 and 6 constituting respectively a condenser and evaporator, together with a room air blower 5 and an outside air blower E5 driven in any suitable man ner such as by a common motor l. Mounted preferably on top of the air conditioning unit 9 is a distributing duct system for the hair driers, this system having a vertical section 8 and a horizontal section 9 from which depend any desired number of head engaging hoods generally indicated at iii.

My improved combination with its detailed structure will be more readily understood by considering the same in connection with the varioils modes of operation which follow.

Summer Operation-Heat exchange element 3 will be considered to be the condenser and ele: ment 6 the evaporator. The compressor 2 and blower motor I are started, whereupon room air flows inwardly through an inlet I2 to blower 5 and thence upwardly through a duct l3 and over evaporator 4 to be cooled thereby and then discharged laterally into the room through a grilled outlet M, Figs. 1 and 5. The outlet I4 is formed in the front side of the vertical distributing duct section 8 which at this time is closed oil from communication with the rest of the distributing duct by a damper l5, Fig. 5, extending across an opening "5 in a transverse partition l1. The room air is continuously recirculated from the grilled outlet l4 back to inlet I! to completely circulate and cool the room air. To cool the condenser 3 with outside air and to utilize the condenser heat, the outside air is admitted through a wall or window inlet duct l9 from which it flows downwardly into a space 28 around the compressor 2 and thence laterally inwardly through double inlets 2| and 22 to blower 6 and upwardly through a passage 23 and over condenser 3. The air flows upwardly from the condenser through an opening 24, Fig. 3, in the top of unit I and thence through an opening 25 in a partition 26 to continue upwardly to the upper conical portion 21 of the vertical duct section 8. A fan 28, preferably of the propeller type, is secured to a sleeve shaft 29, Figs. 1 and 7, which is directly connected to a motor 32. Fan 28 forces the heated condenser air through a horizontal .duct 33 and thence downwardly through an outer duct 34 of any one or all of the hoods l0 and thence inwardly through openings 35 in the head piece thereof to dry the hair of the persons head disposed therein after which the air passes upwardly within an inner duct 36 communicating with a horizontal duct 31. To insure a positive discharge of air from duct 31, a second propeller fan 38 is secured to a shaft which in turn is connected through set screws 3| to motor shaft 29. Fan 38 discharges the air through a suitable piped outlet 39-communicating with the outside atmosphere as shown in Fig. 3.

The capacity of fans 28 and 38 should be such that they can handle all of the warm air coming off of condenser 3. In this case all of the warm condenser air which is initially circulated by blower 6 is forced into the distributing ducts 33 and 31 and all of the hot condenser air will be discharged through the main atmospheric outlet 38. If, however, one or more of the hoods ID arein use whereby the air cannot flow freely from the outer duct 34 through openings to the inner duct 36, then the static pressure in distributing duct 33 will increase which automatically cuts down the delivery capacity of the fans 28 and 38. Consequently these fans will not receive the entire volume of condenser cooling air that is circulated by blower 6. The volume of air from blower 5 in excess of that received by fans 28 and 38 will flow laterally through a supplementary atmospheric outlet duct 4|. The volumetric capacity of blower 6 is preferably sufficiently large that a static pressure in excess of atmosphere will always be present above the top of condenser 3 even when all hoods arenot used, and hence at no time will fans 28 and 38 be able to draw air inwardly of supplementary outlet duct 4|, but nevertheless this outlet duct 4| will always be available to discharge to the atmosphere any volumetric differential that may exist between blower 6 and fans 28, 38 as will variably occur in accordance with the number of hoods I II in use.

Summer operation contd.-Outside atmosvphere c00l.If' the outside air temperature shall fall sufllciently so that the temperature of the hot air discharged from the condenser is not high enough for drying purposes, the temperature of the condenser air can be increased by adjusting a damper 44 to any desired upward position whereby part of the excess hot condenser air which is not used in the hoods I0 (and which would otherwise be discharged out through duct 4 I) is drawn through the damper opening 45 into the inlet duct I 8, thus creating an air mixture of higher temperature than the outside air so that this air mixture in passing over the condenser will have a higher temperature than it would have if only straight outside air is heated.

This mode of operation might require one or more of the hoods III to be temporarily closed and put out of use in order that the remaining hoods may receive a supply of adequately heated air.

Winter time operati0n.--The outside temperature in winter time is generally too low to permit sufficient increase of temperature when the outside air is passed over the condenser 3. However, by interchanging the condenser and evaporator functions of heat exchange elements 3 and 4, the element 3 then becomes the condenser over which the room air at normal temperature is passed while the element 4 becomes the evaporator communicating with the outside atmosphere. The means for interchanging the condenser and evaporator functions is diagrammatically shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein a pair of rotatable valves 46 and 41 is adapted for winter operation, Fig. 6, to connect the high pressure side 48 of the compressor with heat exchange element 4 to cause the same to function as a condenser and to connect the heat exchange element 3 with the low pressure side 49 of the compressor thereby causing element 3 to function as an evaporator. For summer operation, the valves 46 and 41 are in the position shown in Fig. 5. For winter operation, damper I5 is also moved to its vertical position to close grille l4 and a damper 50 closes communication between passages 23 and 21. Damper 44 in the atmospheric outlet duct is also closed as shown in Fig. 6. Condenser cooling air is now drawn from the room through inlet I 2, Fig. 1, to blower 5, thence upwardly through passage l3, over heat exchange element 4 and through opening IE to a duct 5| in the tapered portion of the vertical duct section 8. Fan 28 forces this condenser air through distribution duct 33 and passage 34 through the hood openings 35. The hot air discharged through openings 35 is used either to dry a persons hair or if the hood is not in use the warm air is discharged into the room to heat the same. To accomplish this, upper fan 38 is disconnected from motor driven sleeve shaft 29 as by loosening set screw 3|, Fig. 7. If one or more of the hoods Ill are in use, any hot air that cannot escape to the room through openings 35 will pass upwardly through hood passage 36, thereby insuring a continuous flow of warm air over a persons hair.

During the foregoing winter operation, the outside air will flow inwardly through duct I3 and thence downwardly through the general passage 20 surrounding compressor 2 to blower 6 and thence upwardly through passage 23 and over heat exchange element 3 now functioning as an evaporator to be dischargedv back to the atmosphere through passage 4i. The various dampers may be held in different adjusted positions by any usual means.

Hood structure.To adapt the hoods to various positions and heights, the passages 34 and 36; Fig, 1, are formed by inner and outer seats of telescopic sleeves 60, BI and 82, 63. Sleeve 60 is provided with a ball and socket connection 54 supported by and communicating with distribution duct 33. Sleeve 6| is connected by a flexible and extensible preferably fabric connection 65 to a pipe 66 which is secured to and communicates with distribution duct 31. Sleeves 52 and 63 are connected by inner and outer substantially conical hood elements 61 and 58, the openings 35 being formed in the element 58. To counterbalance the hood apparatus III, a wire or cable 69 is connected at its lower end to a suitable bracket Hi of hood element 53 while the upper end of wire 69 is coiled around and connected to a counterbalancing spring ll, Fig. 4. The inner end of the spring is of course rigidly secured as at 12 to a housing 13 containing the spring and wire coil. Each of the hoods is identical in construction and operation, and hence the foregoing description will suflice for all. In order to conveniently close the hoods individually, there is provided as shown in Fig. 8 an adjustable perf orated sheet metal member 15 arranged in nested relation to the element 68. The member 15 is provided with openings 16 adapted upon rotation to be brought into or out of register with openings 35. The upper horizontal portion of member I is also provided with openings 11 adapted to be brought into or out of register with openings in a horizontal member I9 disposed across the hood element 68, Hence by merely rotating member 15, it is possible to close both of the inner and outer passages 34 and 35. The member can be rotatably supported by a pin or bolt 80.

From the foregoing disclosure it is seen that I have provided an extremely effective combined air conditioning and hair drying apparatus having a high degree of flexibility of adjustment to meet various temperature conditions, both in theoutside air and in the air used for drying purposes. Also the air distribution ducts and hoods are readily adapted to an air conditioning unit of the type herein disclosed with minimum changes in the unit which is of standard manufacture. The whole apparatus is entirely portable and may be readily located in hairdressing parlors or other establishments while at the same time requiring minimum space. The apparatus serves not only a hair drying function but also to heat or cool a room in which the customers are sitting.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, an air conditioning apparatus disposed within a room and having a compressor, condenser and evaporator, a hair drying hood, means for circulating air over said condenser and into said hood, and means for circulating room air over said evaporator and back into the room.

2. In combination, an air conditioning unit disposed within a room and having a compressor, condenser and evaporator, a hair drying hood, a blower for circulating outside air over said condenser and into said hood, supplemental air circulating means for drawing air from said hood and discharging the air to atmosphere, and means whereby when said hood does not use the entire volume of air from said blower the excess is discharged to the atmosphere.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 further characterized by means for recirculating at least a portion of the excess air normally intended to be discharged to the. atmosphere.

4. In combination, an air conditioning apparatus disposed within a room and having a compressor, condenser and evaporator, a hair drying hood, means for circulating room air over said condenser and into the said hood, and means for circulating outside air over said evaporator and back to the outside.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 further characterized in that said latter means includes ducts for directing air from either said condenser or evaporator to said hood, means for interchanging the functions of said condenser and evaporator, and dampers in said ducts for preventing communication between said evaporator and hood while allowing communication between said condenser and hood, or vice versa in the'event of said condenser and evaporator functions being interchanged.

JOSEPH R. ZWICKL. 

